Justification:
This species has a relatively restricted distribution in the tropical waters off north-western Australia, including offshore islands in this area, in which areas its populations have shown no signs of any declines. As there are few or no known major threats to its populations, it is listed as Least Concern.

This species is known only from northwest Australia (Joseph Bonaparte Gulf to Shark Bay). It has also been reported from the Gulf of Carpenteria, Australia (Blaber et al. 2004). This record needs to be checked. Records from Vietnam (Nguyen and Nguyen 2006) are probably incorrect.

This reef-associated species generally occurs in shallower inshore coastal waters, from the surge zone down to around 25 m, where it is most often found singly or in pairs (Lieske and Myers 1994). It can also be found in rubble and algae (R. Myers pers. comm. 2008).

It is carnivorous, feeding primarily on benthic macro-invertebrates (Lieske and Myers 1994).

Although it is reported to show little change in colour with sex or age, photos from Randall in FishBase show two distinct colour morphs. However, different colors for the initial and terminal phases as shown in Kuiter (2002).

Allen, G.R. and Swainston, R. 1988. The marine fishes of north-western Australia: a field guide for anglers and divers. Western Australian Museum, Perth, Australia.

Blaber, S. J. M., Brewer, D.T. and Harris, A.N. 1994. Distribution, biomass and community structure of demersal fishes of the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 45(3): 375-396.